Cozy.tv Chat Scraper: Comprehensive Guide

Efficiently scrape Cozy.tv's chat API and organize messages locally

Key Takeaways

Understanding the Cozy.tv API structure and authentication is crucial for successful scraping.
Implementing robust error handling and adhering to rate limits ensures the scraper's reliability.
Organizing chat logs into dated folders with streamer names facilitates easy access and management.

Introduction

Scraping chat messages from Cozy.tv's API allows users to archive conversations, analyze chat activity, and maintain records of streamer interactions. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to creating a Python-based scraper that fetches chat data from the Cozy.tv Chat API and saves it into organized, dated folders on your computer.

Prerequisites

1. Install Required Libraries

Ensure Python is installed on your system. You'll need the following Python libraries:

requests: For handling HTTP requests.
os: For file and directory operations.
json: For parsing JSON data.
datetime: For timestamping files.
time: For handling delays between API calls.

Install any missing libraries using pip. For example:

pip install requests

2. API Access Details

API Endpoint: https://api.cozy.tv/chat
Authentication: Obtain an API key or authentication token from Cozy.tv. Replace 'YOUR_API_KEY' with your actual API key in the script.

Step-by-Step Guide to Writing the Scraper

1. Understanding the API Structure and Authentication

Before diving into coding, familiarize yourself with the Cozy.tv Chat API's structure. This includes understanding the available endpoints, required parameters, and authentication methods. If official documentation is unavailable, tools like Postman or cURL can help inspect API responses and determine the necessary request formats.

2. Setting Up the Development Environment

Create a dedicated directory for your scraper project. Ensure Python is installed and set up a virtual environment to manage dependencies.

python -m venv cozy_scraper_env
source cozy_scraper_env/bin/activate  # On Windows: cozy_scraper_env\Scripts\activate
pip install requests

3. Writing the Scraper Script

Develop a Python script that performs the following actions:

Fetch Chat Data: Make HTTP GET requests to the Cozy.tv Chat API to retrieve chat messages.
Organize Data into Folders: Create directories based on the current date and streamer’s name.
Save Chat Logs: Write the fetched chat messages into timestamped log files within the appropriate directories.

Comprehensive Python Script Example

Below is a complete Python script that accomplishes the tasks outlined above:

import os
import requests
import json
from datetime import datetime
import time

# Configuration
API_ENDPOINT = "https://api.cozy.tv/chat"  # Replace with the actual API endpoint if different
API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"  # Replace with your actual API key or token
SAVE_DIRECTORY = "CozyTV_ChatLogs"  # Base directory to save chat logs
POLLING_INTERVAL = 60  # Time in seconds between API calls

def create_directory(path):
    if not os.path.exists(path):
        os.makedirs(path)
        print(f"Created directory: {path}")

def get_current_date():
    return datetime.utcnow().strftime('%Y-%m-%d')

def get_current_timestamp():
    return datetime.utcnow().strftime('%Y%m%d_%H%M%S')

def fetch_chat_data(streamer_id):
    headers = {
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}",
        "Accept": "application/json"
    }
    params = {
        "streamer_id": streamer_id  # Adjust based on API requirements
    }
    try:
        response = requests.get(API_ENDPOINT, headers=headers, params=params)
        response.raise_for_status()
        return response.json()
    except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as http_err:
        print(f"HTTP error occurred: {http_err}")  # Handle specific HTTP errors
    except Exception as err:
        print(f"An error occurred: {err}")  # Handle other possible errors
    return None

def save_chat_logs(date_folder, streamer_name, chat_data):
    streamer_folder = os.path.join(date_folder, streamer_name)
    create_directory(streamer_folder)
    timestamp = get_current_timestamp()
    file_name = f"chatlog_{timestamp}.json"
    file_path = os.path.join(streamer_folder, file_name)
    try:
        with open(file_path, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as f:
            json.dump(chat_data, f, ensure_ascii=False, indent=4)
        print(f"Saved chat log: {file_path}")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Failed to save chat log for {streamer_name}: {e}")

def main():
    # Example list of streamers to monitor
    streamers = [
        {"id": "streamer1_id", "name": "StreamerOne"},
        {"id": "streamer2_id", "name": "StreamerTwo"},
        # Add more streamers as needed
    ]

    create_directory(SAVE_DIRECTORY)

    try:
        while True:
            current_date = get_current_date()
            date_folder = os.path.join(SAVE_DIRECTORY, current_date)
            create_directory(date_folder)

            for streamer in streamers:
                print(f"Fetching chat data for {streamer['name']}...")
                chat_data = fetch_chat_data(streamer['id'])
                if chat_data:
                    save_chat_logs(date_folder, streamer['name'], chat_data)
                else:
                    print(f"No data fetched for {streamer['name']}.")

            print(f"Waiting for {POLLING_INTERVAL} seconds before next fetch...")
            time.sleep(POLLING_INTERVAL)

    except KeyboardInterrupt:
        print("Chat scraper terminated by user.")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Explanation of the Script

1. Configuration

API_ENDPOINT: The base URL for accessing the Cozy.tv Chat API.
API_KEY: Your authentication token or API key. Replace 'YOUR_API_KEY' with your actual key.
SAVE_DIRECTORY: The root directory where all chat logs will be saved.
POLLING_INTERVAL: The interval (in seconds) at which the script will poll the API for new chat messages.

2. Helper Functions

create_directory(path): Creates a directory if it doesn't exist.
get_current_date(): Returns the current date in YYYY-MM-DD format.
get_current_timestamp(): Returns the current timestamp in YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS format.
fetch_chat_data(streamer_id): Fetches chat data for a specific streamer using their streamer_id. Modify the params dictionary based on the actual API requirements.
save_chat_logs(date_folder, streamer_name, chat_data): Saves the fetched chat data into a JSON file within the appropriate directory.

3. Main Function

Defines a list of streamers to monitor. Replace the streamer_id and name with actual streamer identifiers and names from Cozy.tv.
Enters an infinite loop where it periodically fetches chat data for each streamer and saves it accordingly.
Handles graceful termination with a keyboard interrupt (Ctrl+C).

Error Handling and Rate Limiting

To ensure the scraper operates smoothly, implement robust error handling and adhere to Cozy.tv's API rate limits:

Error Handling: The script includes try-except blocks to catch and handle HTTP errors and other exceptions that may occur during API requests or file operations.
Rate Limiting: The POLLING_INTERVAL variable controls the frequency of API requests. Adjust this interval based on Cozy.tv's rate limit policies to avoid being throttled or banned.

Running the Scraper

Save the Script: Save the Python script to a file, e.g., cozytv_chat_scraper.py.
Configure Streamers and API Key: Update the streamers list with actual streamer IDs and names. Replace 'YOUR_API_KEY' with your Cozy.tv API key.
Execute the Script:
```
python cozytv_chat_scraper.py
```
The script will start fetching chat messages and saving them into the designated folders. To stop the script, press Ctrl+C.

Important Considerations

Respect Terms of Service and API Usage Policies: Ensure that scraping Cozy.tv's chat data complies with their policies. Unauthorized scraping can lead to account suspension or legal actions.
API Rate Limits: Be mindful of the API's rate limits. Adjust the POLLING_INTERVAL accordingly to prevent exceeding allowed request rates.
Data Privacy: Handle the collected chat data responsibly, especially if it contains personal information from users.
Security: Store your API keys securely. Avoid hardcoding them in scripts if possible. Consider using environment variables or secure storage solutions.

Further Enhancements

Database Integration: Instead of saving chat logs as files, consider storing them in a database for more efficient querying and analysis.
Real-Time Monitoring: Implement real-time monitoring or alerts based on specific chat content or activity levels.
Data Analysis: Integrate data analysis or visualization tools to gain insights from the collected chat data.

Conclusion

By following this guide, you can develop a robust Python scraper to archive chat messages from Cozy.tv's API. Ensuring compliance with Cozy.tv's terms and implementing best practices in error handling and data management will lead to a reliable and efficient scraping solution.